Lemuel Newton

1950 – 2014

Lemuel Newton was the youngest of three Newton brothers who became known as Highwaymen. He was also the least visible of the three.

Lemuel was raised in Tifton, a small town in south Georgia. Nicknamed “Lem,” he began painting as a teenager in the late 1960s after moving to Fort Pierce where his brother Harold was making a good living as a landscape painter. Lemuel and Willie Daniels began by working with Alfred Hair, preparing Upson boards. The lure of making money as an artist was strong and Lem began painting.

His main influence was clearly Harold. He greatly admired his older brother, once commenting to Highwaymen biographer Gary Monroe, “Sam and I wouldn’t know nothing about painting if it weren’t for Harold. All the painters wouldn’t know nothing about painting if it weren’t for Harold, including Alfred Hair.” While the statement about Alfred isn’t exactly correct, it demonstrates the importance of Harold in Lemuel Newton’s life.

His Painting

Like his brothers, Lemuel Newton cared about the quality of his paintings. His colors were bold and striking. Confident with a brush and a palette knife, his work looked impressionistic, as if he were capturing a vibrant moment in time.

Lemuel Newton passed from this life on October 30, 2014, at Clear Lake Regional Hospital in Webster, Texas.